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Subject: Re: too true
Posted by Chris on February 24, 1999 at 08:40:53:

In Reply to: too true posted by Jane on February 23, 1999 at 16:31:05:

Thank you Jane, that means a lot to me. I love animals, yes. The one thing that can make this grown man tear up ... a trip to the zoo where all these majestic and beautiful animals are caged and locked into unnatural and small environments. Many of you have wonderful experiences with your Sugar Gliders - but the majority don't turn out this way - they don't put the effort into finding out about them or when they don't meet their expectations they give up. Sugar Gliders are definately not for everyone. And like I said - please check with the nearest animal control - marsupials are often banned.

: Chris, there are those of us who agreewith you while loving their pet gliders. Myself and Bourbon are two of teh most vocal and reviled at the same time. We cant stop people getting gliders but we can help the gliders afterwards. we do only small things but hopefully these words are better than none. I applaud anyone who prepares to make enemies for teh sake of saving animals. you must be a class guy.
: : My concern is that many of you don't realize that Sugar Gliders are illegal and banned in most of the U.S. and Canada. The ones that know but continue to flaunt it, so be it. But please, new owners or people that are thinking of getting one - check with your local animal control, I think you may be in for a surprise. Please, don't anyone jump on me - you seem to do that with those that don't fit "your rules exactly" - but I speak from experience, as the foreman of an Animal Control. We are having many calls from people asking if Sugar Gliders are banned and we inform them that yes they are and then we have to visit the store or breeder they come from. They are given 72 hours to dispose of these animals and face a fine of up to $5,000. You may not like to hear this, but Sugar Gliders are surely just another "fad" pet - they will most likely go the way of pot-bellied pigs, ferrets and hedgehogs. They too were so popular and expensive and desired at one time - now you can't even give them away! Sugar Gliders are not domesticated no matter what anyone tells you. They are unpredictable and yes some become quite tame and sweet - but it's increasingly being seen that people are trying to dump them after a bit because they aren't the cute cuddley things they wanted. I recently saw a little girl with quite extensive deep scrapes along the side of her face, barely missing her eye. As her mother showed them to me, I couldn't help but notice the mother's hands were severely scraped as well. These Sugar Gliders have the mentality and potential of wild squirrels - some can be tamed, many cannot. They DO smell and they DO bite and they CANNOT be toilet trained so letting them loose is not a choice for many. This column does not tell the whole truth. The truth is that Sugar Gliders are not for everyone. Not to mention - they are banned in most places. If the popularity continues to grow - there will be many poor sugar gliders set free to suffer and die in colder climates or will create problems in the ecosystem of warmer climates. Come on you people - tell the facts - tell it all - not just what you see from your rose coloured glasses. Don't bother getting defensive and putting me down - this is what I do, animals are my passion and have been my job for several years. No, I don't HATE Sugar Gliders. On the contrary. Thank you for hearing me out. There's always 2 sides to every story, and some of you won't have wanted to know that - but it's true.

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